Hey, are you looking for a budget-friendly reverse osmosis water filter? Then, you have come to the right place.
- Today, we’ll be covering everything you need to know about a very familiar RO water filter, Aquasana OptimH2O Reverse Osmosis Water filter.
As there is a copious variety of water filters coming from different brands at various shapes and sizes. The technical aspects would significantly change, as well.
As water filters are becoming more and more vital these days, you need to have a clear concept of how the product of your choice works. The price can also be very crucial.
Here, in this article, we’ll be shedding light on every single detail about the Aquasana OptimH2O Water filter. This will help you decide whether the product is worthy of your choice or not.
So, let’s start.
Why should you trust Aquasana water filters?
Let’s start our review by introducing the filter’s brand to you. The emerging brand Aquasana currently produces a variety of best-selling water filters in the market.
This overwhelming popularity has been possible due to the uncompromising quality of the product they offer.
With the belief of ensuring clean water for all, the brand has been working relentlessly to provide you pure and healthy drinking water since its inception.
The Aquasana OptimH2O reverse osmosis water filter is one of the flagship products coming from Aquasana.
In this one, they have combined their innovative technology with the conventional way of water filtration. That’s why the product has gained popularity among the consumers.
Now that we’ve discussed the background of the brand, let’s move onto the next section.
Highlighted features of the Aquasana OptimH2O Water filter
- Dimension: 30” X 50” X 12.5”
- Weight: 12.3 pounds
- No of Stages: 4
- Gallons per day: 35 GPD
- Faucet: Bronze, Chrome, Zinc
- Filter type: Reverse Osmosis
What are the components of the Aquasana OptimH2O Water filter?
Now, let’s take a look at the various components of the filter that make it so special. You probably know all the major water filtration systems these days combine several stages.
The Aquasana OptimH2O Reverse Osmosis water filter is no exception. It also has a design and architecture of its own.
A single Aquasana OptimH2O reverse osmosis under sink water filter consists of the following major components.
- Activated Carbon filter
- Reverse Osmosis membrane
- Claryum Filter
- Remineralizer unit
- Storage tank
- RO faucet
Now, let’s take a look into these step by step.
Activated Carbon filters out dust, rust, pharmaceuticals, and other pollutants
- Unlike most of the other reverse osmosis filtration systems, this one doesn’t have a sediment filter. Instead, there is an activated carbon filter that is more effective.
Here, the word activated has some weight. Many of us are familiar with the filtration ability of Carbon. The first stage of the water filter takes that into action.
Carbon molecules can absorb some pollutants like dust, rust, parts of debris, pharmaceuticals, or pesticides that come floating in the water.
Now, to make it more active, chunks of Carbon are crushed at a higher temperature. Then, these granules of Carbon will have more ability to absorb pollutants out of the water.
- So, you see, Carbon granules produced this way will have a heightened ability compared to natural carbon blocks. That’s why we call this activated Carbon water filter.
Therefore, the function of the first stage is to filter out the silt, clay, herbicide, or insecticide that are present in the water.
Reverse osmosis membrane wipes out the toxic dissolved solids from the water
- Most of us get our tap water from various water treatment plants. Tap water that we get from these plants can have some dissolved substances in it.
For example, if you test your tap water, you will get various ions or molecules in the water. There are ions like Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Chloride, Fluoride, and so on.
Not all of these ions are helpful for your health. Some of those can have adverse effects as well. For instance, ions like Lead, Arsenic, or Chloride can be very harmful.
The water treatment plants cannot necessarily remove all these harmful ions. For this, you’ll need a reverse osmosis membrane.
The Aquasana OptimH2O water filter has a robust reverse osmosis chamber of its own. It remains in the second stage.
Therefore, the dust-free water from the activated carbon filter would enter into the reverse osmosis membrane.
- If you would like to know how reverse osmosis membrane works to purify drinking water, you should visit our post here.
To ensure the maximum capacity of the reverse osmosis membrane, you need to make sure the tap water fulfills some requirements.
For example, the maximum TDS of the water should be below 1000 ppm and the input water pressure should be within 40-100 psi. Also, the pH level should be within 4-10.
If you want to know about TDS or pH of water, you should visit our blog page here. If you want to know more about water pressure, you should visit our page here.
Claryum Filter removes harmful Chlorine and Chloramine
After the reverse osmosis membrane, there is another stage of filtration. This one is known as Aquasana’s trademark, claryum water filter.
This patented “Claryum” method is specially designed for removing pollutants like chlorine and chloramines from the water.
As we’ve already mentioned, the tap water we get comes from various water treatment plants. These plants use substances like Chlorine and Chloramine to disinfect water.
Although these chemicals are good disinfectants, they can also be harmful to our health. That’s why our drinking water shouldn’t have any portion of these substances.
That’s where the Claryum filter comes in. This one comes with catalytic carbon molecules that will efficiently remove all these disinfectants from the water.
And, with the combination of the three different filters, this product can reduce the presence of most of the harmful pollutants from the water.
The storage tank stores purified water for later usage
The reverse osmosis membrane requires a certain level of water pressure to function properly. Even after that, this one is still slow compared to other types of purification.
Therefore, if you need water fast, this product can be problematic. To solve this, there is a storage tank with the Aquasana OptimH2O water filter.
Purified water after various stages of filtration will continue to gather at the tank. The tank already comes with a precharged air pressure of 5-7 psi.
So, as soon as you open the faucet, water will be present at a moderate rate due to this high air pressure inside the reserve tank.
If you want to know more about why water storage tanks are needed and how those work, you should visit our latest article here.
So, you see, the storage tank is very much necessary to get water in time from the faucet.
Remineralizer adds healthy minerals into the water to improve the taste
The product also offers you another level of filtration. This one is here to make your drinking water taste smooth and healthy.
If you know a little about how reverse osmosis works, you also know that it removes most of the dissolved chemicals from our drinking water.
What you also need to know is that most of the healthy ions like Calcium, Magnesium, or Iron get left out along the process.
These ions are vital elements for the proper growth of our bodies. Fortunately, these are present in our tap water to some extent.
But, when the water passes through the reverse osmosis membrane, most of the healthy molecules cannot follow through.
To help you with this, the product comes with a remineralizer unit of its own. When you open the faucet, the water from the storage tank will enter the remineralizer unit.
There it will pick up the necessary ions and restore the pH and health quality of the water. This will improve the quality of your drinking water as well.
The product also offers three different types of RO faucet
Last but not least, the product comes with a stylish RO faucet with three different choices for customization.
The first one comes with a Brushed Nickel finish. This one is cheaper compared to the others.
The other ones are slightly more elegant in design. One of those comes with Chrome metal and the other one has an oil-rubbed Bronze finish.
You can check those out on Amazon. You will find the links in the list below.
Installation Manual: How should you install the Aquasana OptimH2O Water filter?
Another fascinating thing about Aquasana OptimH2O reverse osmosis water filter is it provides you an opportunity for DIY installation.
We’ve summarized the important aspects of the installation in the next few sections. Take a look.
You will require the following instruments if you’re planning to do this by yourself.
- Utility knife
- Screwdriver (Philips)
- Drill
- Adjustable wrench
- Masking tape
- Safety glasses
Installing the Brass tee fitting
- Firstly, start by turning off the cold water supply and turn on the kitchen faucet to drain the water.
- Now, disconnect the cold water line and attach the threaded ends of the supplied brass tee to the cold water supply.
- Now, shut off the valve and tighten it with a wrench. Also, attach a white tube with the Brass tee.
Installing system manifold
- Now, select a suitable place to keep the rest of the filter. Select the place so that the tubing can be easily connected to the rest of the system.
- In most cases, the system manifold is attached to the wall. In that case, you will need to drill two horizontal holes in the wall.
- Now, mount the manifold into the wall. Also, screw in the remineralizer unit as well.
Installing the storage tank
- Now, it's time to install the storage tank. Firstly, wrap 4-5 rounds of tape around the nipple at the top of the tank.
- Then, place the tank connector at the nipple and tighten it as much as possible. Always remember to keep the tank close to the rest of the system.
- Lastly, connect a 3/8" white tubing to the tank.
Installing the RO faucet
- Now, let's install the RO faucet. Start by placing the gasket at the faucet base and feed the tubing and faucet threads through the gap.
- Then, slide on the slotted washer, spacer, and nut underneath the counter. Make sure the connection is tight enough.
- Lastly, connect a white tubing at the base of the faucet threads.
Installing the drain connector
- One other important thing is the install the drain connector. Firstly, identify a suitable drain outlet location.
- Now, remove the protective cover, knock the center hold out, align holes, and attach to the front plate of the drain connector.
- Then, tighten the nuts and screws. After that, using the drain connector port as a drill guide, drill a hole into the drain pipe.
Connecting the tubings
Now comes a crucial part of the whole installation. You have to connect the tubings properly. We have compiled a list showing you which tube will be connecting what. Take a look.
- 1/4" white tubing will be connecting Brass tee to the system manifold.
- 3/8" red tubing will connect manifold with the remineralizer.
- A 3/8" white tubing will connect the remineralizer with the faucet.
- Another 3/8" white tubing will be connecting the tank with the manifold.
- RO membrane will be connected with the air gap using a 1/4" red tubing.
- A 3/8" red tubing will connect the faucet to the drain connector.
Installing the filter assembly
- Lastly, it is time to place the filter cartridges. Now, attach the red carbon sump to the first position facing the side of the inlet.
- Make sure the connections are aligned. Now, push in the filter sump into the manifold and lock it in.
- Repeat the process for the rest of the cartridges as well. And, viola!!! You have done the installation.
If you want to take a good look at the instruction manual, take a look here.
Maintenance: How often should you replace the cartridges of the Aquasana OptimH2O Water filter?
Now, let’s take a look at the maintenance of Aquasana OptimH2O reverse osmosis water filters.
Like all the products in this category, it also requires routine maintenance. But, if your municipal water quality is good enough, then it will last longer.
In general, the Carbon pre and post-filters will survive for 6 months. After that, you should replace those to make sure healthy water flows at your faucet.
On the other hand, the reverse osmosis membrane will keep on functioning for a year. But, if the pH is very high, the RO membrane will not last that much.
The remineralizer will also last one year. If you’re wondering how often it is necessary to replace the cartridges of an average water filter, you should visit our post here.
Price Analysis: Is the Aquasana OptimH2O worth its price?
In the above sections, we showed you the positive aspects of having an Aquasana OptimH2O reverse osmosis under sink water filter at your home.
The product offers you tasty and healthy mineral water that can boost your immune system to a new level.
The product also comes with an opportunity for DIY installation. The maintenance is affordable as well compared to other water filters in this category.
With all these features at its disposal, the product also comes at a very reasonable price.
The price might change keeping in mind that you will have three different choices of faucets for the filter.
Therefore, it is needless to say, if you’re looking for pure and clean drinking water with good taste, you should opt for this product without any doubt.
So, why are you waiting? Check out the product here on Amazon. Also, if you’re looking for the best under sink water filters in the market right now, you should check out our post here.
At a glance: Pros and cons of the Aquasana OptimH2O Water filter?
Pros
- Reverse Osmosis membrane
- Prefilter with activated Carbon
- Lead free Faucet
- Possible DIY installation
- Reasonable price
Cons
- No sediment filter
- No ion exchanger
Final Verdict
Throughout this whole article, we tried to cover everything you need to know about a top product, Aquasana OptimH2O reverse osmosis water filter.
We showed you how the product works, how you can install the product at your premises. We also showed you the maintenance schedule and price analysis.
If you’re looking for a good water filter at an affordable cost, this one can surely be a good choice.
Also, if you’re facing any water-related problem at your home, you should visit our blog page here. There you will find many informative articles on various aquatic problems.
Finally, if you want to check out the product, click here to see it on Amazon. Cheers!!!
